Conversation with a chef

I feel very lucky to get to talk to incredible chefs, most of them with many year’s experience in the industry. I often ask chefs what their advice would be to people at the start of their career and I have heard so many gems. It seems apt then, every now and then to chat to one of those chefs who might appreciate that advice, someone who is just starting out and to hear how things are going as th...

What a divine experience to talk to David Zhou at Oriental Teahouse in South Yarra on the eve of their 20th birthday celebrations. David is softly spoken with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge about his teas, hospitality and people. While we spoke, I was treated to a glorious pot of David’s calm concentrate tea, made with goji berries, lychees and other ingredients and which became more and more ca...

Dale Kemp began his cooking career back home in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Although he had always been aware of and interested in the fact his grandmother was a great cook - she had a huge garden and grew fruit and vegetables throughout the year – he didn’t think about becoming a chef until he got an after-school job at 16 as a dishwasher at the Boat Shed Café in Nelson. He loved the sounds, the aroma...

I went in to chat to Adrian Richardson at La Luna Bistro on a rainy Saturday afternoon when a wedding lunch was winding up in the downstairs dining room and the staff were prepping for evening service. Longstanding restaurant manager, Linda thrust a glass of wine into my hand and Adrian and I went for a tour of the cool room where they dry age ALL the meat. I don’t think I have seen so much meat i...

I went in to Pipi’s Kiosk halfway through May to talk to co-owner and chef, Jordan Clay. I am a long time fan of Pipi’s, because of its setting right on the beach looking out across Port Philip Bay and of course, because of the food. When I spoke to Jordan, we had just put an offer on an apartment in Port Melbourne and I thought to myself, imagine if we get this and I can just walk down the beach...

#185 Oliver Hughes | Henrietta by Jo Rittey

I went in to Stokehouse at golden hour as the glow of the late afternoon sun bathed the dining room. Winter is the best time for sunsets, they told me, and as I left after chatting to Jason, the sky was awash with deep coral. It’s a stunning dining room. Who wouldn’t want to sip wine and eat glorious food looking out over Port Philip Bay? It’s even more stunning once you know how intentional the r...

Scott Lord was born in Dunedin in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue hospitality as a career. After a few years of working under various chefs, he joined the multi-award-winning restaurant Pier 24 as Chef de Partie, working alongside Michael Coughlin at the St Clair eatery. When Scott and his wife moved to Melbourne in 2015, he secured the role of chef de par...

What an absolute treat to talk to Tom Sarafian. Often described as the unofficial king of hummus, the best hummus maker in Australia, hummus expert, Tom certainly has a passion for hummus and he has put a lot of time and thought into perfecting his product. At one point in the conversation, he waxed lyrical about each of the ingredients and I loved it! At another point in the chat, we went on a Le...

Everyone calls Chanon Boriharnvanakhet Chachi, so I am just going along with that too. Chachi is head chef at Tonka, having taken over the reins three and a half months ago. It’s his first head chef role, having never really set out to climb the ranks, and so he is feeling his way carefully, talking to staff, feeling the room and making the role his own. Chachi is a thoughtful chef; thoughtful abo...

I met Hendri Budiman when I was writing an article for Broadsheet about the new direction of Coda and Tonka now that co-owner and executive chef, Adam D’Sylva has moved on. I really loved the way he talked about food as well as all the different restaurant experiences he has had and the fact that ultimately he keeps coming back to Coda. Coda will always be one of my favourite Melbourne restaurants...

Anthony Thalassinos is the head chef of George Calombaris’ new restaurant, The Hellenic House Project in Highett, a bayside suburb about 35 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. I think you would have to have been under a rock if you didn’t know that George Calombaris had opened a new restaurant and I, like many was following the lead up and opening as well as the star-studded diners, such as Nigella Laws...

Georgios Smyrnios got in touch with me to ask whether I’d like to have a chat about what he was doing at Raph’s Deli in Abbotsford ,and I am so glad I did. I live in Abbotsford, but the opposite side and unbelievably this cute little deli and sandwich shop had escaped my notice. In April Urban List rated Raph’s Deli’s sandwiches as some of the best in Melbourne and that is saying a lot for a city...

McKay Wilday is a fascinating guy. He gives off a calm, unflappable and very assured vibe and he comes out with the most unexpected things. I knew I was going to enjoy talking more to him, having spoken briefly to him when I was writing about Alta Trattoria, the restaurant he owns with Carlo Grossi, James Tait and Luke Drum for Broadsheet. I knew he was Grossi alumnus and I knew he had worked at G...

I was excited to speak to Brad Cunningham at Waygood for a number of reasons. He is an ex-pat chef from Aotearoa New Zealand and he has worked in numerous places around the world, including my home town of Otautahi, Christchurch, as well as in Paris and London. I particularly loved that in his LinkedIn profile, Brad says he has lived and worked in some of the world’s greatest cities and he lists t...

For me, eating seafood while looking out to sea is what it’s all about and so Audrey’s at the iconic Continental in Sorrento is my dream come true. The dining room is divine. Art Deco curves, coastal pallet, sunshine streaming in and a view of the sea. Plus Audrey’s is part of Scott Pickett’s repertoire of incredible restaurants and I am a long-time fan of Scott and his restaurants. While I have n...

Japan-born Soichi Kawabata brings 26 years of traditional and hyper-focused knife-wielding skills to South Yarra's Yakikami in its Wagyu Omakase offering. Growing up in Fukuako – a coastal city known for its seafood culture, Soichi spent his younger years on fishing trips with his father. Here, the pair would catch different types of fish and bring them back to the family to share, and create some...

Pamella Tomio is head chef at Ovolo Hotel’s Lona Misa, the incredible plant-based restaurant brought about by hospitality legends, Shannon Martinez and Ian Curley. Pamella was such a joy to talk to. She was so generous in what she shared with me about growing up in hospitality in Brazil, coming to Australia and what she loves about working at Lona Misa. Pamella is cooking veggie dishes on the Josp...

#172 Andrew Ballard | Simmer Culinary by Jo Rittey

I love Pipi’s Kiosk. It’s in Albert Park, but right on the beach. As in, literally on the beach. You sit at a table where the sea is pretty much lapping at your ankles but you are drinking beautiful wine and eating glorious food. With the floor to ceiling windows, you get to see all the theatrics, whether it is glorious sunny weather or dramatic storms, it is all beautiful and at Pipi’s you are ce...

#170 Christian Graebner | Dolly at Le Meridien by Jo Rittey

I sat down with head chef and owner, Aseem Sood and his business partner, Kunal Bhardwaj at Kahaani in Lygon Street. Kahaani means story in Hindi and Aseem wants to tell the story of India’s regions and history through his food, which he describes as “unreasonably authentic”. The pair looked for a while for a venue, originally imagining that South Yarra would be the place until they came across th...

Paul Kasten previously worked in fine dining but wanted to ‘put down the tweezers’ and bring rarely found authentic regional American pizza styles to Australia. He opened Deep End Pizza last March in the space formerly occupied by Hammer and Tong just off Brunswick Street and it has been gloriously popular ever since he first opened the doors. Deep End’s Detroit, Chicago and New York style pizzas...

Alan Tompkins is an ambassador for the Burnt Chef Project, an organisation that seeks to highlight mental health within the hospitality industry. This is a huge topic and timely to talk about. Four out of five hospo workers say they have encountered mental health challenges while working in the industry, but a whopping 47 % say they would not speak up about it. This gulf is something Alan and his...

Nornie Bero is from the Meriam People of Mer Island in the Torres Strait and is the executive chef, CEO and owner of Mabu Mabu. Nornie has been a professional chef for more than twenty-five years and draws inspiration from her cultural heritage and from the abundance of natural resources she grew up with and now champions. Nornie’s cooking style reflects her passion for using local, sustainable in...